Bow sight

ABSTRACT

A bow sight attached to a track on an archery bow so as to be adjustable on the bow for range and cross wind, includes an aperture channel and on the target side of the channel, a ring concentric with the aperture and pivotally mounted to the aperture so that the ring is positioned by gravity and is concentric with the aperture when the bow is held vertical and nonconcentric when the bow is not held vertical.

United States Patent 1 Benoit [11] 3,747,222 [451 July 24, 1973 1 BOW SIGHT [76] Inventor: Alfred E. Benoit, 221 Whitney St.,

Northboro, Mass. 01532 [22] Filed: Jan. 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 108,943

[52] US. Cl. 33/265 [51] Int. Cl F41g 1/42, F4lb 5/00, F4lg 1/44 [58] Field of Search 33/46 R, 47, 265;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,526,037 9/1970 Crosby; ..33/46A 3,2l2,l 90 10/1965 Larson ..33/46A 3,098,303 7/1963 Plisk 33/52 Primary Examiner-Louis R. Prince Assistant Examiner-Steven L. Stephan Attorney-Robert T. Dunn [57] ABSTRACT A bow sight attached to a track on an archery bow so as to be adjustable on the bow for range and cross wind, includes an aperture channel and on the target side of v the channel, a ring concentric with the aperture and pivotally mounted to the aperture so that the ring is positioned by gravity and is concentric with the aperture when the bow is held vertical and nonconcentric when the bow is not held vertical.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PAfENTfl] JUL 2 4 I973 LWFZFIG FIG 2 I N VEN TOR.

FIG 50 5b BY ALFRED E. BENOIT W ZQW AT TORNEY BOW SIGHT This invention relates generally to sighting devices used by archers and more particularly to a sight attached to the archers bow and adjustably positioned on the bow for range.

It is common practice for archers to mount a sight on the bow which is positioned on a track attached to the bow depending upon the elevation of trajectory that is desired. The elevation is adjusted depending upon the distance to the target and the strength of the bow. For a given bow, calibration is accomplished by marking positions along the bow track at which the sights should be set for different ranges. Often, such sights include a level indicator which may be a pendulum, a ball rolling in a curved track, or a bubble level. As is often the case, the level indicator is not along the sight line and so the archer cannot look through the sight at the target and at the same time see the level indicator. In a few instances where the level indicator is along the sight line, it blocks the view of the target.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bow sight including a level indicator which is along the line of the sight and so can be seen clearly by the archer when sighting and which does not block the view of the target.

It is another object to provide an improved bow sight.

It is another object to provide a calibrated sight on a archers bow including an aperture adjustable in position along the bow to enable the archer to adjust for range and wind for a given target while maintaining the bow vertical.

It is a further object to provide such a bow sight adapted to be mounted on a conventional archery bow and which does not interfer with the archers grip, the bow string, or the arrow.

These objects together with other objects and advantages of the present invention will more clearly appear from the following description of specific embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevation view of a portion of a bow, the bow grip, and sight as view from a position between the bow string and the bow;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the same portion of the bow, bow sight, and arrow;

FIG. 3 is a top cross-section view taken as shown in FIG. 2 and showing details of the bow sight and track along which the sight is moveable;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-section view of the sight aperture and level indicator; and

FIGS. 5a to 50 represents the archers view through the sight aperture at three different vertical positions of the bow.

A single embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and is represented by the bow sight assembly 1 attached to the portion of the bow immediately above the archers grip. This sort of attachment is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Here the bow sight assembly 1 is attached to a portion of the bow 2 immediately above the archers grip 3 so that the aperture portion 4 of the sight is directly above the position of the arrow 5 on the arrow rest 6. As is well known, the right handed archer holds the bow with his left hand at the grip 3, mounts an arrow by notching the arrow at the bow string and resting the shaft of the arrow on the bow rest 6 and then draws back the bow stringto a consistant position. At this position, the archer looks at the target through the aperture 4 of the bow sight. The aperture is positioned along the scale 7 of the sight assembly depending upon the range to the target. The greater the range, then the lower the sight is set along the scale. The aperture is positioned laterally to account for cross wind. The archer first determines the lateral position of the aperture at no cross wind and can mark this position laterally on the scale. Thereafter, he estimates cross wind and adjust for it by positioning the aperture laterally with respect to the mark. Having adjusted the sight for range and wind in this manner, the archer draws the bow, sights on the target and then releases the arrow.

The launch trajectory of the arrow will be proper provided the archer has held the bow perfectly vertical. In accordance with a principle feature, of the present invention, a pendulum like level indicator is provided on the aperture 4 so that it is viewed by the archer as he sights through the aperture at the target and so it is under his observation at all times while he is sighting on the target. This, enables the archer to maintain the vertical position of the bow without diverting his eyes from the target. Furthermore, the level indicator in the present invention does not block the view of the target through the sight.

The level indicator is provided by a ring 10 which is pivotally suspended over the target side of the aperture 4. This ring 10 is illustrated more clearly in FIG. 4 which is an enlarged sectional view of the aperture. The ring 10 is suspended by pin 11 over the target side of the aperture. The aperture consists of a tubular portion 12 which extends to a 60 flared portion 1 The inside surface 14 of the aperture is'preferably coated with a nonreflective material. The purpose of the flared portion 13 is to shield the aperture from light that is not from the target.

The inside diameter of the ring 10 is the same or slightly larger than the tubular portion 12 of the aperture. The aperture is mounted to the bow as already described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and in such a manner that when the bow is held vertical, the ring is suspended over the aperture opening 15 and is precisely concentric with the opening and, thus, is concentric with the aperture axis 8 The view through the aperture is a circle of light in which the target is located. Such a circle view is shown in FIG. 5b. If on the otherhand, the bow is not vertical, but is tilted in a clockwise direction from the point of view of the archer, then a portion of the ring 10 will appear in the aperture and the circle of light will be distorted. Such a view through the aperture is illustrated by FIG. 5a and indicates to the archer that he should rotate the bow counterclockwise to bring it to the vertical position. This he will do until he gets a view as illustrated in FIG. 5b. Similarly, if the bow is tilted counterclockwise as viewed by the archer, the image in the sight will be as illustrated by FIG. 50 which tells the archer to rotate the bow clockwise until he again achieves the proper image shown by FIG. 5b. Thus, the ring 10 which is suspended like a pendulum over the aperture provides a leveling guide to the archer which is entirely within his vision even while he sights on-the target and which does not block his view of the target through the sight.

For some applications, the ring 10 may have a nonreflective coating just like the inside of the aperture 4. In that case, when the bow is tilted clockwise, the portion 16 of the view through the aperture will appear dark or even black because it is a portion of the ring. Also, the light opening 17 would appear oval and tilted at an angle to the vertical. The same thing would occur if the bow were tilted counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 5c except the oval 19 would be tilted in the opposite direction. In either case, the target represented by the cross at the center of each of the sight views in FIGS. 5a to 50, would be clearly visible. And the condition of tilt could be observed and corrected without the archer taking his eye from the target.

In another embodiment of the invention, the ring is at least partially transparent and may be made of translucent material. In this case, the portions of the view through the aperture denoted 16 and 18 are not dark or black and so they are less apparent. Nonetheless, they are apparent and do serve as a guide to the archer to bring his bow into the vertical position.

In a third embodiment of the invention, the ring 10 is translucent and fluorescent. The applicant has discovered that when the ring is translucent, and particularly when it is also at least somewhat flourescent, the ring gathers light and somehow produces a bright spot at the center of the ring when viewed by the archer through the aperture 4. This bright spot is represented by the circle denoted 21 in FIGS. 5a to So. When the bow is perfectly vertical, and so in the proper position, the circle 21 is concentric with the inside of the aperture. On the other hand, when the bow is tilted clockwise, the spot of light 21 moves off center as illustrated in FIG. 5a. Similarly, when the bow is tilted counterclockwise, the spot of light 21 moves off center as illustrated in FIG. 5c. The inventor in the present application has discovered that the spot of light 21 provides an excellent indication of the vertical position of the bow and also identifies the center of the aperture when the bow is vertical enabling the target to be acquired at the center of the aperture. Under normal conditions, the target is visible through the spot of light. The spot of light appears as a glow of increasing intensity towards the center of the glow, but is not so bright as to obliterate targets under ordinary conditions.

With the translucent fluorescent ring, when the bow is tilted, for example, clockwise, a portion such as 16 of the ring will be visible through the aperture and due to the fluorescent nature of the material can be distinguished from the other portion 17 of the aperture. Very simply, it can be distinguished by color. For example, the fluorescence may be a distinct color and so the portion 16 in the case of clockwise tilt or the portion 18 in the case of counterclockwise tilt is apparent to the archer viewed through the aperture 4. The archer need only tilt the bow in the opposite direction to eliminate this portion and place the glow 21 at the center of the aperture and then move as necessary to place the target at the center of the glow.

Details of the sight assembly 1 are further illustrated by the FIG. 3 which is an enlarged view of a section taken through the bow and sight track as shown in FIG. 2. The scale 7 consists of marks along the face of the track denoted generally by the numeral 26 attached to the front face of the bow extending from the grip 3 upward. Along this track, on the front part thereof is marked the scale 7 The track extends substantially from the top of the grip 3 upward along the front of the bow. The track may be grooved as shown in FIG. 3 to accommodate a slide 27 which carries the aperture 4.

The aperture is attached to the slide 27 by shaft 28 fixed to the aperture and threads to a tapped hole along the axis of the shaft 29 which, in turn, threadably connects to the slide 27. Shaft 29 is locked to the slide by set screw 30 and shaft 29 lockes to shaft 29 by nut 31.

The position of the slide 27 along track 25 is adjusted depending upon the elevation (range) to the target and strength of the bow. A pointer mark on the slide aligns with the scale markings 7 which are calibrated for range. The aperture 4 is set by moving the slide along the track to the selected range and then the slide is locked in position by the lock screw 32 carried by the slide. Correction for cross wind is made by positioning the aperture laterally. Shaft 29 is screwed into or out of the slide with lock nut 31 loose and while holding the aperture to keep it from turning. The lateral position of the shaft 29 with respect to the cross wind marks on the scale 7 are noted and the shaft is turned to the selected mark. Then screw 30 and nut 31 are tightened to lock the lateral position. The archer then draws the bow, sights the target and adjusts the vertical tilt of the bow to acheive the view through the sight illustrated by FIG. 5b and launches the arrow.

The different embodiments of the present invention described herein have in common a viewing aperture mounted on a track attached to the archers how. The track mechanism and the mechanism for mounting the aperture on the track and moving it and locking it along the track are illustrative of suitable structures. Clearly, other structures could be substituted for performing the functions of these mechanisms. The invention herein lies most particularly in the structure for indicating that the bow is held vertical.

What is claimed is:

1. An archery bow sight comprising,

an aperture member having an optical axis, said member being adapted for attachment to the bow with said optical axis aligned substantially with the eye of the archer,

the aperture member having a circular entrance and exit for light from a target,

a circular ring of interdiameter substantially the same as the entrance of the aperture member pivotally mounted to the aperture member to pivot on an axis parallel to the axis of the aperture member and displaced therefrom so that when the bow is vertical the ring is concentric with the aperture member optical axis and when the bow is not vertical the ring is not concentric with the aperture member optical axis.

2. A bow sight as in claim 1 and in which, the ring is made of translucent material.

3. A bow sight as in claim 2 and in which, the ring material is also fluorescent.

4. A bow sight as in claim 1 and in which, the ring is opaque and nonreflective.

5. A bow sight as in claim 1 and in which,

the aperture member is a generally cylindrical member and is attached to the bow so that the axis of the cylinder can be moved along the bow to positions related to the range from the bow to the target.

6. A bow sight as in claim 5 and in which,

the angle of the cylinder axis with respect to the bow is variable.

7. A bow sight as in claim 1 and in which,

ill

tions related to the range from the bow to the target. 9. A bow sight as in claim 7 and in which, the aperture member is moveable laterally with respect to the 5 how to lateral positions related to cross wind.

10. A bow sight as in claim 9 and in which, the ring is made of a translucent fluorescent material.

l II! I k k 

1. An archery bow sight comprising, an aperture member having an optical axis, said member being adapted for attachment to the bow with said optical axis aligned substantially with the eye of the archer, the aperture member having a circular entrance and exit for light from a target, a circular ring of interdiameter substantially the same as the entrance of the aperture member pivotally mounted to the aperture member to pivot on an axis parallel to the axis of the aperture member and displaced therefrom so that when the bow is vertical the ring is concentric with the aperture member optical axis and when the bow is not vertical the ring is not concentric with the aperture member optical axis.
 2. A bow sight as in claim 1 and in which, the ring is made of translucent material.
 3. A bow sight as in claim 2 and in which, the ring material is also fluorescent.
 4. A bow sight as in claim 1 and in which, the ring is opaque and nonreflective.
 5. A bow sight as in claim 1 and in which, the aperture member is a generally cylindrical member and is attached to the bow so that the axis of the cylinder can be moved along the bow to positions related to the range from the bow to the target.
 6. A bow sight as in claim 5 and in which, the angle of the cylinder axis with respect to the bow is variable.
 7. A bow sight as in claim 1 and in which, the aperture member is generally cylindrical and the ring is pivotally mounted thereto by a pin on an axis parallel to the cylinder axis and located above the cylinder axis.
 8. A bow sight as in claim 7 and in which, the aperture member is a generally cylindrical member and is attached to the bow so that the axis of the cylinder can be moved along the bow to positions related to the range from the bow to the target.
 9. A bow sight as in claim 7 and in which, the aperture member is moveable laterally with respect to the bow to lateral positions related to cross wind.
 10. A bow sight as in claim 9 and in which, the ring is made of a translucent fluorescent material. 